News

Matchmaking App Hawaya Lets Users Connect Based On Lifestyle Choices

Hawaya currently operates in 12 new countries, including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, France, Germany, UK, Malaysia, Indonesia, the United States, and Canada.

Published

3 months ago

June 11, 2021

Joanna

egyptian matchmaking app hawaya lets users connect based on lifestyle choices

Finding love is not easy, especially for singles in the Middle East, where conservative cultural norms don’t approve of any but the most traditional forms of matchmaking, which don’t seem all that appealing to many members of younger generations. But it’s not like young men and women in the Middle East are without modern options when it comes to finding the partner of their dreams. Hawaya, a Cairo-born matchmaking app, has recently celebrated 4 million users, and it’s now rolling out a feature that has the potential to expand its userbase even further: the ability to connect based on lifestyle choices with people from other regions.

Hawaya currently operates in 12 new countries, including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, France, Germany, UK, Malaysia, Indonesia, the United States of America, and Canada. So far, it has resulted in 18,000 commitments, with 5,000 in Egypt alone.

“We’re seeing singles all over the region, women in particular, trusting in Hawaya to find their life partner more than ever before, which displays greater social acceptance for mobile matchmaking as an empowering tool for women to find their ideal life partner,” said Shaymaa Ali, Hawaya’s co-founder and Marketing Manager in the MENA region.

The new “Lifestyle Preferences” feature allows users to find their other half based on shared interests, likes, and dislikes. Users can now specify the geographic area they would like to explore, instead of always receiving matches that are located as close to them as possible.

Also Read: Tinder Will Soon Let You Background Check Your Matches

“Through innovation, tech, and cultural respect, Hawaya prides itself to be a progressive app that aims to destigmatize the taboo of online matchmaking, and empowering women to take their time and spark a real connection with the love of their lives,” added Sameh Saleh, Hawaya’s founder and CEO.

Since the 2017 launch of Hawaya, social acceptance of online matchmaking in the MENA region has seen a measurable improvement, but there’s still a long way to go before all users of matchmaking apps like Hawaya won’t feel the need to hide their identities.

News

Amazon Partners With Music Streaming Service Anghami

Prime subscribers in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will automatically get a free six-month subscription to Anghami Plus.

Published

2 days ago

September 20, 2021

Joanna

amazon has partnered with music streaming service anghami

Amazon’s Prime subscription service offers an excellent value proposition because it includes not only free shipping but also access to a huge library of songs, among other things. Unfortunately for music lovers in the MENA region, the Amazon Prime music library includes mostly songs from English-speaking countries. But that’s about to change soon because Amazon has partnered with Anghami, the first legal music streaming platform and digital distribution company in the Arab world.

As a result of the new partnership, Prime subscribers in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will automatically get a free six-month subscription to Anghami Plus, a premium subscription service that offers an unlimited access to Anghami’s large content catalog and unlocks extra features such as the ability to play songs offline, display lyrics, and enjoy music in high quality.

amazon prime anghami plus offer

“This collaboration with Anghami is a perfect example of how we work together with leading local brands to innovate on members’ behalf, offering them the best experience possible,” said Ronaldo Mouchawar, Vice President of Amazon Middle East and North Africa. “We’re excited to see Prime members in both Saudi Arabia and the UAE enjoy Anghami Plus and all it has to offer, alongside other shopping, savings and entertainment benefits already included in their membership”.

The partnership with Amazon is guaranteed to help Anghami realize its global ambitions and compete with other music streaming services, most notably Spotify and Deezer.

Also Read: Truecaller Wants To Raise Over $100 Million In Stockholm IPO

Several months ago, Anghami entered into a merger agreement with publicly traded special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Vistas Media Acquisition Company Inc. The goal is to list Anghami on the New York NASDAQ exchange, giving it access to global growth capital.

Currently, Anghami provides its users access to more than 57 million Arabic and international songs, as well as podcasts and live radio. Amazon Prime subscribers who decide to keep using Anghami can get an additional 50% discount for the next six months.